Rikers Island Commission Unveils Plan to Shut Down Jail Complex

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Melissa Mark-Viverito, the speaker of the New York City Council, at a news conference on Sunday at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice about the plan to close the jail at Rikers Island.CreditCreditAlex Wroblewski for The New York Times

The independent commission studying Rikers Island officially released its recommendations for closing the troubled jail complex on Sunday, more than a year after the panel was convened and two days after Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York reversed course to back the plan.

Melissa Mark-Viverito, the City Council speaker, who created the commission, said: “This is a historic day. With the release of this report and the support of the mayor as announced on Friday, we can now say that the dream of closing Rikers will become a reality.”

She announced a 10-year goal for the departure of the last inmate from Rikers. “Let’s hope we can make that a reality, too,” she said.

Mr. de Blasio announced his support for the plan on Friday, overshadowing the commission’s announcement on Sunday at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan. Jonathan Lippman, the state’s former chief judge, who led the study, said having the mayor on board was a worthy trade-off.

“On behalf of the commission and myself, I want you to know that we are all delighted, absolutely delighted, clearly, that the mayor has exercised real leadership and understanding that New York City must absolutely and as soon as possible close Rikers Island, period,” Mr. Lippman said. “It is a place that is an affront to humanity, and decency, and it is a stain on our city’s reputation.”

The mayor’s about-face, the release of the commission’s report and calls from Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo last month to close the jail complex represented a rare moment of political unity in the state, as speakers noted on Sunday. But they also hinted at the political difficulties facing such an ambitious project, not the least of which is a potential price tag of $13.9 billion, although the study also found that the changes would save the city $1.4 billion annually.

The recommendations call for a sweeping overhaul of not only the city’s physical jail structure but also its criminal justice system. They suggest ending the practice of incarcerating those awaiting trial for nonviolent crimes and reclassifying some low-level offenses.

A central tenet of the report calls for reducing the number of inmates in the city to 5,000, from the current average of about 10,000, within 10 years. Rikers generally houses about three-quarters of the city’s prisoners. The report recommends ending the “mass incarceration” model at Rikers by building five smaller prisons, one in each borough.

The proposal suggests turning the island into an infrastructure point that could include an additional runway for La Guardia Airport and a water treatment plant.

Mr. Lippman, in his remarks, also called for the island to be renamed and for a memorial or museum to “tell future generations the history of what happened” at the complex.

The news conference, held in the Moot Court Room at the college, was packed with city officials, activists clad in shirts that read “Close Rikers, Build Communities,” and a few former inmates.

Before it began, Mr. Lippman stood to the side of the stage, clutching a blue folder, as the crowd found seats.

Some attendees stopped to greet and hug Mr. Lippman.

“We’re on our way,” he told them.

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page A19 of the New York edition with the headline: Rikers Island Commission Unveils Plan to Shut Down Jail Complex. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe